Need feedback for Types of Maps (student atlas)

mberends

Posted 26 June 2014 - 11:01 AM

mberends

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Location:Laramie, Wyoming

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I'm working on a student atlas for Wyoming, grades 4-8. I would appreciate any feedback on our layout for 'Types of Maps'. I want to make sure it's technically correct as wall as cartographically pleasing. Thank you!

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Dennis McClendon

Posted 26 June 2014 - 04:15 PM

Dennis McClendon

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I'm bothered by the idea that students in Grade 4 need to know the term isarithmic, which I myself never saw until today. Nor would I ever have come up with categorical for that specialized coverage map. It's one of those things that seems to make education about testing and memorizing vocabulary rather than actual understanding.

Makes it particularly embarrassing then, to see capital spelled wrong. Or the poor placement of the county labels.

Posted 27 June 2014 - 01:41 PM

It would be more common to call that an isopleth (or even isoline) map. Neither of which I would really think grade-schoolers are going to understand or care about. A much more familiar version would be a 'contour' map, and I think conceptually that's easier to explain.

Posted 02 July 2014 - 02:18 PM

Taking a look at the map initially it is well designed, the colours fit, it has a good balance. Now with that said if cartographers are ever to reclaim this field as our speciality it is necessary to serve our fellow human beings, especially in matters of those who share our values. We must peer in between in the lines to find problems with maps so that we can learn from our mistakes, and assist those who seek a truthful, objective opinion if the cartographer of the map asks for an opinion. So to relay the objective opinion on the critique of this map let us start with the Wyoming reference map.

- The Legend reads line, poly, and points in that order of the type of features.

- Okay in the exact type of features it is listed as : Major Roads (line), Counties (polygon), Capitol (point) (Note: I'll come back to this), and major towns (points). The proper order as a general rule as taught to me is that the type of feature in order of importance is that of text, point, line, and polygon features which constitutes the genus of the multiple species that are presented in the types of importance. Thus the towns and cities constitute a species in the subject since it is a representation of a hierarchy of geographic locations.

- The word "Capitol" is a fallacy as it relates to the map, though an unintended one. What you are looking for is the term "Capital."

In this case capital which has different meaning refers to this:

As a noun, capital refers to (1) a city that serves as a center of government

Whereas capitol : (1) a U.S. state legislature building, and (2) the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C. State capitols are located in the capital cities of U.S. states, and the Capitol is located in the capital city of the U.S.

- Also take notice that "Major Towns" in the legend, that is the symbol appears to be visually larger then the symbols on the map. Consider a different label such as reducing it to just simply "towns" or perhaps add "cities" to the map. Often cartographers and yes that includes me creates misleading categorical; unintentionally by lumping towns into cities or cities into towns. This is a fallacy.

- Check text placement, are the distances between the point and text uniform enough for this project?

- Could some text in particular counties be better placed then that? One example noticeably referencing a city location is that of Casper, could that not be placed in the lower left corner of the point? Instead of centre top over that road?

- Is the colour of the road in the legend the same as the colour of the road on the map?

- Under the types of maps excluding the choropleth map which already has the county boundaries, should no at least minimally in all of those maps the boundaries be shown to give the audience a better view of where 'X' is located. Sure I know that by looking at the reference map that well is located near 'Y' but for all I know it is in 'X'. In other words relative location is critical to balance as accurate as we can present it while keeping it visually pleasing to the eye, to be as objective as possible.

- The Isarithmic map (already mentioned by others so I won't say a thing to the term), looks to have been created utilizing the "Inverse Distance Weighted" or IDW. This method is best for statistical analysis, eg climatic models such as average temperatures for the season of summer. Elevation should be processed through the "Triangulation Interpolation Method" or TIN. Of course I could be wrong, it just appears to me that IDW was used for the elevation data.

- Is there anything that you can do about the hanging graduated symbols on that map?

Hopefully this helps.

-

"There is much beauty that we fail to see through our own eyes teeming with life forms that give us that perception of our reality. Leaves on the trees blowing gently in the wind, or scarily, the waves pounding through high surf, or lightly on a warm summer’s day; that opportunity to sit or swim in the water on a white beach. That comfort to shout, “The universal conscious do you hear me? I am alive, guide me dear logos towards the path of rightnesses.” Earned what has been kept, no longer to be absorbed into a life filled with cold damn winds and that stubborn fog clouding my vision with nothing but darkness."

mberends

Posted 02 July 2014 - 02:37 PM

Thank you for your detailed feedback! Just checking to make sure I'm understanding correctly:

Capital, Cities and towns should come first in the legend (points), followed by roads (lines) then counties (polygon).

I'm not sure what you mean by hanging graduated symbols? Do you mean the shadow we added? Should we just use an outline instead of a shadow?

We will work on correcting the other things you pointed out.

Again, much appreciated!

- Okay in the exact type of features it is listed as : Major Roads (line), Counties (polygon), Capitol (point) (Note: I'll come back to this), and major towns (points). The proper order as a general rule as taught to me is that the type of feature in order of importance is that of text, point, line, and polygon features which constitutes the genus of the multiple species that are presented in the types of importance. Thus the towns and cities constitute a species in the subject since it is a representation of a hierarchy of geographic locations.

- Is there anything that you can do about the hanging graduated symbols on that map?

Posted 03 July 2014 - 12:46 PM

Thank you for your detailed feedback! Just checking to make sure I'm understanding correctly:

Capital, Cities and towns should come first in the legend (points), followed by roads (lines) then counties (polygon).

I'm not sure what you mean by hanging graduated symbols? Do you mean the shadow we added? Should we just use an outline instead of a shadow?

We will work on correcting the other things you pointed out.

Again, much appreciated!

- Okay in the exact type of features it is listed as : Major Roads (line), Counties (polygon), Capitol (point) (Note: I'll come back to this), and major towns (points). The proper order as a general rule as taught to me is that the type of feature in order of importance is that of text, point, line, and polygon features which constitutes the genus of the multiple species that are presented in the types of importance. Thus the towns and cities constitute a species in the subject since it is a representation of a hierarchy of geographic locations.

- Is there anything that you can do about the hanging graduated symbols on that map?

Hopefully this helps.

-

I would go as far and not use the polygon feature since it is evident by the user and not necessary information for this map. And still yet if you chose to keep this information I would go as far as to represent the feature boundary, in this case the county boundaries as a line features. The layers in this case should be layered accordingly:

- roads

- boundaries (line feature)

- state capital

- cities

- towns

Your graduated symbols are hanging off the area of interest with no water feature or landmass for the representation of the map. In due case think it this way, imagine if the world was flat and lets say there is nothing there, once you go over the edge the universe is non-existent, that means no matter, no gravity, well you get the point. Now consider this if nothing exists then can anything possibly exist outside the universe, what would happen to that object if it chose to leave the universe. Would it hold substance? Also in due consideration it is evident in the discussion of accuracy how to you present the information if only one state is in usage for the key area? We are talking in theoretically catch 22 statements because if we present the information completely as accurately as possible then we get the hanging proportional symbols especially at the state boundaries. Yet discussing design by keeping the proportional symbols from hanging we are in effect sacrificing accuracy for design composition. The thought is what is the best solution in cartographic theory to present the information, especially when the map is represented as if there Wyoming is presented as the only item in the universe from this prospective of having no mass shown beyond?

"There is much beauty that we fail to see through our own eyes teeming with life forms that give us that perception of our reality. Leaves on the trees blowing gently in the wind, or scarily, the waves pounding through high surf, or lightly on a warm summer’s day; that opportunity to sit or swim in the water on a white beach. That comfort to shout, “The universal conscious do you hear me? I am alive, guide me dear logos towards the path of rightnesses.” Earned what has been kept, no longer to be absorbed into a life filled with cold damn winds and that stubborn fog clouding my vision with nothing but darkness."